Stackable column assembly and method of construction

ABSTRACT

A stackable tubular column assembly and method of assembly in which uniform cross-section column members for adjacent floors are joined by a coupler having a plate that divides the coupler into two compartments. Each compartment telescopingly receives the end of column members so the load of the upper column member is uniformly distributed over the walls of the lower column member through the plate. The lower portion of the coupler has flanges for coupling floor beams. Methods of erecting the column assemblies and a building are disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a stackable column used in the construction of multi-story buildings and to the method of constructing buildings using a stackable column. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method of stacking and coupling together vertical columns for supporting successive building floors.

Multi-story steel-framed buildings are typically constructed with columns spanning the full height of the building, with intermediate floors framed with structural beams or joints on which a floor is laid. For ease in erection, it is highly desirable to construct each column in a series of single story column members, with each column member aligned with and structurally connected to the column member on the story above and below. The alignment is important for load bearing reasons and is often problematic once the floor is in place. Each joint in the column represents a potential weak link and some overlapping and bracing connection of adjacent column members in the column is important. In many instances, the columns provide all of the lateral stability of the building in resisting high winds and seismic events.

Known attempts to deal with these problems include the telescoping of adjacent single-story column members as disclosed in the Carter U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,851 dated Nov. 28, 2000. Such a system requires an ever decreasing cross-section as a function of building height and the load of each member is applied to less than all of the cross-section of the supporting member by a mechanical connection. The minimum wall thickness of the member on each floor must be independently considered and multiple column members must be manufactured, stocked, shipped, tracked on site and handed.

In contrast, the column members of the present invention may be uniform in cross-section so that they may be aligned and the load spread over the entire cross-sectional area of the column. The column members need be tracked on site only if the floors are different heights, and the difference in height may be realized on site from standard length members. Alignment and bracing of each joint in the column is assured by the use of a standard through-floor coupling.

These and many other advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial illustration of one embodiment of a column member of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial illustration of one embodiment of a coupling member of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial illustration of one embodiment of a base plate of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation in partial section of the coupler of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a side view in partial section of the coupler of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is an illustration in partial section showing one embodiment of the assembly of two column members and one coupler with a composite floor.

THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference now to the figures where liked numerals are used to indicate like elements, one embodiment of the column member of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 as being a steel tube 10 having a substantially uniform wall thickness and being generally square in cross-section. This cross-section is used throughout this description, but it must be recognized that other conventional cross-sections such as a circle may be used. The column members may be fabricated in any conventional manner in a desired height, or fabricated and then cut to the desired height.

One embodiment of the coupler is shown in FIG. 2 and another in FIGS. 4 and 5. Both comprise a relatively short section of a column member 12 dimensioned slightly larger than the column member 10 of FIG. 1 to telescopingly receive one end of two column members into opposite ends open ends.

Coupler 12 is divided intermediate its length by a horizontal plate 14. The coupler may be fabricated in any suitable conventional manner, e.g., by providing slits in two opposing sides of the coupler through which the plate 14 maybe inserted and then welded into place.

The length of the lower portion of the coupler 12 desirably approximates the vertical height or web of the structural members used to support the floor between adjacent columns. Attached to the opposite sides of the lower portion of the coupler, four illustrated in FIG. 2 and two in FIGS. 4 and 5, are beam or floor joist connectors 16 to which the floor supporting beams (not shown) may be attached by any suitable conventional means such as by bolts extending through apertures therein. A suitable conventional ceiling may be attached to the lower end of the webs in any suitable conventional manner.

The length of the upper portion of the coupler 12 is desirably that of the thickness of the floor to be supported on the beams, e.g., for a composite steel/concrete floor, the combined thickness of the corrugated steel deck and the concrete poured thereon. Where there is to be no load bearing floor but only a ceiling, and no additional column members supported thereon, the height of the upper portion of the coupler may be truncated. Because additional column members may be supported therein to which roof joists may be attached, and because there is an advantage in utilizing uniform parts, a standard height upper portion may be maintained even for the topmost column member.

As shown in FIG. 3, a base plate 18 may be used to support the lower end of the column. This base plate may be a plate apertured for attachment in a conventional manner to the lowest floor, e.g., a concrete slab. The base plate may itself be apertured to receive the lowest end of the lowest column member, or may, as shown, include a portion of a tube 20 dimensioned like the coupler 12 to telescopingly receive and support a column member.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, a joint in the column may comprise a coupler 12 that is supported on the upper end of a column member 24 by abutment of the upper surface thereof with the lower surface of the plate 14. The upper surface of the plate 14 of the coupler 12 in turn supports the lower end of a column member 26. Beams 22 are attached to the beam supports 16 in one, two three or four directions as desired. A corrugated steel deck 28 is supported on the beams 22 and in turn support a layer of concrete 30 to form a composite floor. Note that the height of the coupler may provide a convenient guide for the depth of concrete to be poured, leaving the opening into the upper compartment of the coupler 12 exposed for subsequent insertion of the lower end of the upper column member 26. Note also that the overlap of the upper portion of the coupler 12 and the lower end of the column member 26 is additionally supported by the composite floor and the overlap of the lower portion of the coupler 12 and the upper end of the column member 24 is supported by the beans 22.

Assembly on site is possible without the use of heavy lifting equipment because of the relatively light weight and shortness of the column members. In one embodiment, base plates are attached to a concrete slab in the desired locations, and the column members for the first floor stood upright and inserted into the base plates. The column members may be welded to the base plates once in place.

A coupler may then be placed over the upper end of the first floor column member, and may be welded thereto. Alternatively, the coupler may be inserted over the first floor column member prior to standing the first floor column member upright. In still another embodiment, the coupler may be welded to a column member prior to shipment to the job site,

The floor beams may then be raised and attached to the beam couplers of the coupler, after which the floor may be built. Upon completion of the floor, the alignment of the second floor column members with the first floor column members is assured by the visible coupler and the process of erecting the second floor column members may be completed. Note that the load of the second floor column members is distributed evenly over the entire cross-section if the first floor column members through the plate in the coupler.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and the scope of the invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims when accorded a full range of equivalence, many variations and modifications naturally occurring to those of skill in the art from a perusal hereof. 

1. A stackable column assembly for multi-floor construction comprising: upper and lower floor tubular columns having substantially the same substantially uniform cross-section over the height thereof; and a tubular coupler having the same substantially uniform cross-section over the height thereof and being dimensioned to telescopingly receive therein one end of said upper and lower floor columns, said coupler being divided into two vertically spaced compartments of substantially equal length by a generally horizontal plate, and the lower half of said coupler having one or more beam connectors extending generally horizontally therefrom, the upper end of said lower floor column being received with the lower compartment of said coupler so that said coupler is supported on said lower floor column by abutment of the lower surface of said plate with the top of said lower floor column, the lower end of said upper floor column being received with the upper compartment of said coupler so that (a) said upper floor column is aligned with said lower floor column and (b) said upper floor column is supported on said coupler by abutment of the bottom of said upper floor column on the upper surface of said plate with the load of the upper floor column being transferred to the lower floor column through said plate.
 2. The stackable column of claim 1 wherein said tubular columns are metal tubes substantially square in cross-section.
 3. The stackable column of claim 1 wherein coupler has slits in two opposing walls and wherein said plate extends through said slits.
 4. The stackable column of claim 3 wherein said plate is welded to said coupler where said plate extends through said slits.
 5. The stackable column of claim 1 wherein the compartments in said coupler are approximately the same height
 6. The stackable column of claim 1 wherein said columns and said coupler are steel.
 7. The stackable column of claim 1 wherein said coupler is steel and said one or more beam connectors are steel plates welded to said coupler
 8. The stackable column of claim 1 wherein the number of beam connectors is two.
 9. The stackable column of claim 8 wherein said two beam connectors are coplanar.
 10. The stackable column of claim 1 including base plate for telescopingly receiving the lower end of said lower column.
 11. A multistory building having stackable column assemblies supporting the floors thereof, each column assembly comprising plural columns and a two-compartment coupler connecting adjacent columns, each of said couplers having one or more beam connectors extending outwardly from the lower compartment hereof; a plurality of beams each attached at opposite ends to one of the beam connectors of one of the couplers in one of said column assemblies; and a floor supported on said beams.
 12. The building of claim 11 wherein the upper compartment of each of said connectors is the height of said floor.
 13. The building of claim 11 wherein said floor comprises a metal deck having parallel ridges and valleys and concrete overlying said deck.
 14. The building of claim 11 wherein said columns are metal tubes having a substantially square cross-section; wherein said one or more beam connectors are metal plates; and wherein said beam connectors are welded to said couplers.
 15. The building of claim 11 wherein each of said couplers has slits in two opposing walls and a plate extending through said slits and welded to coupler.
 16. The building of claim 11 wherein the compartments of said couplers are same substantially the same height.
 17. The building of claim 11 wherein at least some of said couplers have two coplanar beam connectors attached to opposite sides of a column.
 18. The building of claim 17 wherein at least some of said couplers have two additional coplanar beam connectors attached to opposite sides of said column orthogonal to the plane of said first mentioned coplanar beam connectors.
 19. The building of claim 11 including plural base plates each telescopingly receiving the lower end of the lowest column in each of said column assemblies.
 20. A method of erecting a stackable column assembly comprising the steps of: (a) providing a base plate, plural columns, and plural two-compartment column connectors; (b) locating the base plate in the desired location; (c) attaching a first one of the columns to the base plate; (d) telescopingly receiving the upper end of the first column in the lower compartment of one of the column connectors; (e) telescopingly receiving the lower end of a second column in the upper compartment of the column connector; (f) repeating steps (d) and (e) for each additional floor of the building.
 21. A method of erecting a building comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of stackable column assemblies, each assembly having a base plate, plural columns, and plural two-compartment column connectors with at least one beam connector horizontally extending from the lower compartment; (b) locating the base plates in the desired location on a first floor; (c) attaching one of the columns to each of the base plates to thereby provide first floor columns; (d) telescopingly receiving the upper end of the first floor columns in the lower compartment of one of the column connectors; (e) attach one end of a beam to selected beam connectors to thereby provide a grid of horizontal beams; (f) supporting a floor on the grid of beams for the first floor; (g) telescopingly receiving the lower end of a column in the upper compartment of the column connectors to thereby provide second floor columns; (h) telescopingly receiving the upper end of the second floor columns in the lower compartment of one of the column connectors; (i) attach one end of a beam to selected beam connectors to thereby provide a grid of horizontal beams for the second floor; (j) supporting a floor on the grid of beams; (k) repeating steps (g) and (j) for each additional floor of the building. 